The Science of Cultivation-Chapter 274: Qi Sources

Li Lang lost track of time as he delved into the depths of Earth-grade cultivation techniques. The premise of it was simple—to create something that could allow cultivators to harness the power of a certain element or elements of Qi. However, that was only the first layer. The reality was much more complicated.

Earth-grade cultivation techniques would stick with a cultivator throughout their journey in the Foundation Establishment Realm. It wasn’t something they could change on a whim, or else their progress would be reset. That meant Li Lang had to ensure his technique had a viable path forward, all the way until the Violet Core Realm.

Thankfully, he had a sizable library of samples to learn from. He never stopped collecting these techniques whenever possible. Combined with what he obtained through the Crucible, he had more than enough to paint a clear picture of what needed to be done.

As the days passed, he eventually reached the point where he would begin testing his creations himself. After all, there were no other test subjects that matched the requirements right now. He was confident that, at the very least, it wouldn’t be deadly, and he could continue to adjust the technique if there was anything wrong.

However, before he began, he needed to procure a few materials first.

“Hey guys, how’s everything been going?” Li Lang sheepishly asked as he found his two companions having lunch along with his students.

“Finally have some time to spare for us?” Long Yi teased.

“Hm, just checking in before I head over to the bazaar. Speaking of, anyone want to tag along?”

Everyone exchanged looks, with no one reacting to his offer, so Li Lang shrugged.

“Suit yourselves.”

“I’ll l-let them know you’re coming,” Wei Ping added as Li Lang turned around.

Li Lang nodded, entrusting his friend with handling the transmission jade.

The jade was too important for Li Lang to hold on to alone, as he was prone to ignoring things once he got absorbed into whatever he was dealing with in the moment. That’s why he had placed it within the core of the artifact, inside the abode that existed in the strange space that could only be accessed through the hut at the summit of the mountain. Whenever they received any calls or if someone wanted to use it, the artifact spirits of the Crucible would teleport them to where it was.

“All right. See you guys later.”

As he walked away, Li Lang overheard the whisperings of his students behind him, wildly speculating about what he was up to. It made Li Lang shake his head as he reflected on if he was really so easy to read.

That—needs to be addressed. I can’t step into the political arena as an open book.

As a genuine Foundation Establishment cultivator, few things in Emberglow City posed as an obstacle to him. The bazaar wasn’t that far, and he soon arrived at the large entrance that was built into the cliff wall at the edge of the city.

The place was crawling with both mortals and cultivators alike, all flowing in and out of the place. One group stood out starkly, as they were like an immovable stone within the flow of people.

Seeing them, Li Lang sighed. He landed near the entrance, and as he feared, this group of individuals sporting red and black robes headed straight for him.

Realizing it was unavoidable, Li Lang simply waited for them as they cut quickly across the crowd of people. To be precise, the crowd veered away from them as if they were a plague.

“Senior Tai, how can I help you?” Li Lang greeted once they grew closer. He nodded amiably toward the four men behind his acquaintance, noting how he didn’t recognize any of them.

“We heard you’re here to procure a few things. I was wondering if we could help you out with that.”

“What? You want to fetch the things I want for me? Why in the world would you want to do that, Senior? I definitely don’t dare to use you as an errand boy.”

“No need to fret. This is simply what we believe to be the safest arrangement. After all, various types of people visit the bazaar, and we wouldn’t want any conflict to break out there.” As he said the latter part of his words, Tai Xilun’s eyes pointed somewhere behind and above Li Lang.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Following his gaze, a young woman in beige robes rapidly descended their way.

Jun Ziyan? She’s shadowing me, huh?

Li Lang waited until the newcomer was within earshot to continue.

“I’d prefer to go shop around by myself. I’m not exactly sure what I need yet. I’ll have to see what’s available first.”

“Li Lang, I’ll be direct with you,” Tai Xilun sternly stated. “The conclave has assigned me to ensure your safety during your visit to our territory. I hope you can understand we’re trying to keep you from harm’s way.”

“Ha! There’s no need for that,” Jun Ziyan chimed in. “My Master asked me to accompany Li Lang for a reason. I’m more than enough to protect him.”

The Sword Saint’s disciple and Bloodwave Conclave Head Disciple stared at each other for a moment, both unwavering. Before they could argue, Li Lang put forth his own suggestion.

“How about you both calm down and just let me shop in peace? We’re in the city, not in the wilderness, right? Nothing is going to happen on a short shopping trip. You even have guards already posted in the bazaar, right?”

“You should understand your new station,” the Bloodwave Conclave disciple curtly quipped. “Your identity is quite sensitive now. If anything happens to you while you are in our territory, the other forces of Violet Isle could easily censure our conclave. That means this isn’t something we can take a chance on.”

“Fine, fine. You want to protect me, got it. How about you simply accompany me, then?”

“That is an acceptable compromise,” Tai Xilun swiftly answered, as if it had been within his calculations all along.

Li Lang glanced over at Jun Ziyan to see if she would accept his proposal. She didn’t react, so he took it as a yes.

With that settled, Li Lang headed into the bazaar once more, but accompanied by a half-dozen strong escort. It got a lot of people looking, which annoyed him somewhat, but it also came with benefits. With the Bloodwave Conclave cultivators in tow, everyone moved out of his way, and he reached his destination quickly.

Li Lang took a second to observe the core of the bazaar where numerous trades were taking place each second. The section he sauntered into dealt in miscellaneous crafting materials and hopefully had what he wanted. If they didn’t, he would move on to the more specialized sections.

“What are you looking for, anyway?” Jun Ziyan finally spoke directly to him as she stuck close to avoid being lost in the crowd.

The various stalls took up most of the space, forcing foot traffic into narrow lanes.

“Any material that contains large amounts of Qi with the affinity for one of the five elements.”

“Hmm, would that work?” she pointed toward a large slab of stone one of the vendors had laying out in the open.

“Too weak. I need something with a higher concentration and quantity of Qi. Maybe around the level of several red crystals, but pure in its affinity.”

“How about that Emberlight Stone over there, then? I believe it’s a specialty of Emberglow City, right?” She directed her question to Tai Xilun, who simply nodded.

“Hmm, with the exception of the fire affinity.”

“Oh, well, this might take a while, then. Most items like that don’t make it that far from where they’re found. Organizations are built around valuable resources like that. Even if such materials do circulate outside, it’s because of a trade agreement with other organizations.”

“Why would that be? You’re not just trying to get me out of here faster, are you?”

“To find what you want, it’ll depend on luck, is all I’m saying. What you’re looking for are essentially unique resources that many cultivation techniques revolve around. Kind of like the Liquid Bloodstones your friends over here need in order to practice their conclave’s signature technique. You won’t catch them selling much of their stock to outsiders.”

Li Lang frowned upon hearing the news. He had his suspicions that the materials rich in different Qi weren’t going to be cheap. He was willing to splurge, but if there was no market for it, things would become a lot more challenging.

His research had been going smoothly, but the results showed that he would need a huge supply of Qi of all five elements in order for it to work. Absorbing ambient Qi would take countless years to produce results. It was the reason most cultivators in the Foundation Establishment Realm used red crystals in their cultivation.

Li Lang would have liked to use red crystals for his cultivation technique too, if he could, but he found it almost impossible to maintain his focus to filter out five different types of Qi concurrently. After all, he still had to focus on maintaining the balance between the five elements, and absorbing one element of Qi at a time wouldn’t work, either. It was too easy for the balance to crumble that way.

Thankfully, he found his Primordial Star Fire satisfied his need for fire Qi. Heavenly fires were already a converter of sorts. It constantly processed ambient Qi to bolster its reserve of high-quality fire Qi. However, he would need sources of Qi for the four other elements that were equal in quality.

The plan was to obtain a steady supply of heavenly materials that supplied him with this Qi he needed, but it would become a problem if no stable supply could be found.

Turning toward the host organization of this city, Li Lang hoped they had an answer to his predicament.

“Senior Tai, your conclave doesn’t happen to have the connections to obtain what I need or have them in stock, do you? I happen to need either a stable supply or a large quantity of materials that have the water, earth, metal, and wood Qi.”

“That—is beyond my station. Let me ask the elders. You can browse what’s available here in the meantime.”

Turning back to the sea of people, Li Lang sighed.

Let’s hope I get lucky, I guess. It should at least let me test out the technique for now.